The main opposition BNP hopes for some positive developments from US official Nisha Desai Biswal’s visit to Dhaka in resolving the existing political stalemate over a polls-time government.
Leaders of the BNP and its 18-party alliance partners expressed hope at a time when the ruling Awami League and its allies are heading towards forming an “all-party” interim government to hold the upcoming national election by January 24, even if the BNP does not join.
The BNP-led opposition alliance enforced violent hartals in the past three weeks to “compel” the government in meeting their demand of a non-partisan government overseeing the polls.
Despite speculations that the BNP will slap a shutdown next week as well, a number of opposition leaders said they might pause for a while considering Desai’s three-day visit beginning Saturday.
Nisha Desai Biswal, US assistant secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs, is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka on Saturday afternoon and leave on Monday.
BNP sources said they were considering not to announce any shutdowns during Desai’s trip because of their embarrassment in May as US Under-Secretary for Political Affairs Wendy R Sherman cancelled her meeting with Khaleda Zia during her Dhaka visit as the opposition had not withdrawn its hartal on the day of her arrival.
However, the BNP last night announced holding demonstration programmes in all districts and upazila headquarters on Saturday, demanding the release of its detained leaders while protesting police repression.
Acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced the programme after a meeting with BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia at her Gulshan office.
Opposition sources said the BNP would most likely announce yet another three-day shutdown starting from Tuesday after Desai’s departure.
There might be tougher agitation programmes in case the Election Commission announced the polls schedule, where senior leaders would take to the streets, they said.
When asked about the nature of the next set of programmes, BNPs Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi told reporters on Wednesday that they would declare the programmes in a day or two.
Many BNP leaders do not see the possibility of their demands being met despite tough political programmes such as hartal, they think Desai might play a role in making some progress towards holding a dialogue between the Awami League and BNP.
BNP policymaker Abdul Moyeen Khan on Wednesday told the Dhaka Tribune: “The latest visit by the US assistant secretary of state for South Asia with the sole agenda of Bangladesh is not difficult to comprehend.
“Obviously her [Desai] efforts to further follow up the requests outlined in the letter of the secretary of state [John Kerry] is possibly the main purpose of her visit.” The BNP Standing Committee member said: “A negotiated settlement could be the best way out of this quagmire even under this extreme circumstance where it appears that the dialogue process may have broken down.”
On September 8, Kerry sent letters to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Leader of the Opposition Khaleda Zia, urging them to find a way to hold free, fair and credible national elections.
BNP chairperson’s Adviser Osman Farruk said they would present to Desai their stance on not participating in any elections under a partisan government.
It would be Biswal’s first trip to Dhaka after being assigned for South Asian desk.
A media note of the US State Department said she would discuss shared global, regional and bilateral priorities with Bangladesh government, opposition, labour, and civil society leaders.
The source involved with the arrangements of Biswal’s trip said in a situation where Bangladesh’s politics and upcoming election had become the main issues, automatically these would get priority in her meetings with the ruling and opposition party leaders and civil society members.
Biswal’s schedules during the trip are not yet announced officially. But Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury, vice chairman of BNP, said she would meet Khaleda.
“The date and time of the meeting is yet to be finalised, but it could be held on Sunday,” he said.
Moyeen Khan said: “The idea of an all-party government is a meaningless concept on several counts…There cannot be an all-party government within the concept of a plural democratic system where there will be no opposition to establish the accountability of the government.
“Under this conflicting circumstance, it is not surprising that our friends in the international community will be eager to promote an end to the current political impasse through dialogues and negotiations between the warring parties.”
Opposition alliance’s partner Bangladesh Jatiya Party’s (BJP) Chairman Andaleeve Rahman Partha told the Dhaka Tribune: “The government is moving towards holding a lopsided election, ignoring people’s hopes and aspirations. As we are living in a global village, diplomats may interfere in the country’s politics.”
